In World of Warcraft there is an apparent paradox. The number of players has decreased – but the game has nonetheless improved.
For some cynical critics, it seems clear that World of Warcraft has experienced quite a flop with Dragonflight. After all, Blizzard admitted in the financial report that fewer players bought Dragonflight than Shadowlands. Shadowlands, in turn, was generally considered one of the worst expansions ever. This must then mean that Dragonflight is even worse, right?
However, what sounds like the most obvious answer at first clashes with the experience and reports of those who still actually play World of Warcraft. Because those who have embraced Dragonflight seem to be having a lot of fun right now. Dragonflight has launched with a solid amount of endgame content, and the talent system encourages players to try out other classes.
New features like the Trading Post are convincing, and generally, the game has a rather good atmosphere. Many active players even refer to Dragonflight as the best expansion in many, many years.
At the same time, Dragonflight seems to be better at retaining the smaller player base in the long term. The ongoing subscriptions are more than in other expansions.
Or in other words: Dragonflight has fewer players than Shadowlands, but the smaller number of players is having more fun.
So how can this be? Can Dragonflight really be that good if the number of players is lower? Is that a contradiction?
Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands Burned People Out
There is not “one reason” why Dragonflight attracted fewer players than Shadowlands. There are several reasons at play here:
- Shadowlands drove many players away from World of Warcraft – and likely permanently. The mandatory grind was too exhausting, and the content droughts were too severe. Some called it a day permanently on their WoW careers.
- The discrimination and sexism scandal at Activision Blizzard also prompted a change in mindset. For some, it was the “last straw,” and they have renounced Blizzard in general.
- Dragonflight lacks a standout core feature and has a rather “niche” theme. Dragons have mostly been treated as secondary, and much of their story has only been found in books so far.
All of these reasons led to Dragonflight simply not reaching all those who would otherwise be caught up in the “hype of a new addon.” It is simply to be assumed that World of Warcraft has now lost some players permanently after nearly 19 years, who would otherwise have gone “through thick and thin” with their favorite game. After all, the MMORPG market is large, and there are solid alternatives like Final Fantasy XIV or ESO.
Also, the fact that players are increasingly having less time for MMORPGs plays a role. Other MMORPGs recognized this earlier than WoW.
What’s Next for Dragonflight?
Blizzard must realize that World of Warcraft needs to prove itself again. The “unwavering trust” that players had in Blizzard has long been depleted. WoW is currently in a time where it must demonstrate that it can deliver again. At least the plan for 2023 looks good. 6 patches in a year is more than WoW usually gets over a span of 2-3 years.
However, during this time, the pull of a “new” expansion is missing, as Dragonflight is already on the market. World of Warcraft therefore needs to ensure that the remaining players pass the word along to attract new and former heroes back to Azeroth. Because when a friend tells you that WoW is now “really good” again, that carries much more weight than if a development team says it, which has disappointed repeatedly in recent years.
World of Warcraft is currently significantly better than it was during Shadowlands. That fewer players are noticing this is unfortunately quite unfortunate, but on the other hand, it is undoubtedly also deserved, due to years of mistakes.
That WoW is better and still has fewer players is therefore not a contradiction. It is the logical consequence of the decisions made in recent years and the first step towards improvement.
It is unlikely that WoW will ever reach the player numbers of Wrath of the Lich King again – that simply seems unrealistic, not least because of the massive competition. But that World of Warcraft significantly increases its player numbers again seems at least currently possible, if the developers stay the course and give the fans what they want.
Or how do you view the whole topic?
